Okay, we get that Spam — the canned pink, meaty stuff — has a protected trademark, unless it has a lowercase “s,” in which it’s less edible still. And Kleenex ain’t just any paper product. Unlike brand names, however, in the struggle to make “social” interactions relevant, there aren’t many actual rules to governing relationships. What’s … Continue reading
‘Dragon’s blood’ used to treat canine cancer patients
No, it’s not blood, or — duh — from dragons. But a new prescription drug carrying the nickname “dragon’s blood” is being developed for animal as well as human treatment. Tapped from a substance in rainforest tree, the latest drug of its type under development is, SP-303, an isolated and purified form of the medicinal … Continue reading
Yummy science: 3D-printing of human ‘liver strips’
3D printing of live, human liver? Yup. Same for tissue with blood vessels, as well as kidney, muscle and breast cancer. It all holds promise for the future, and sure beats cranking out plastic guns for the betterment of humankind. Basically, it’s done by pushing living cells through what amounts to inkjet printer nozzles. Here’s an excerpt … Continue reading
iPhone app for prescriptions seeks to tap a new-ish $100 billion market
Goin’ mobile: How many people never fill that first prescription? Not to worry; there’s an app on the way for that, too — GetMyRx — as we reported in this story at Pharmaceutical Commerce. Developer GetMyRx Inc.’s CEO Luis Angel says “at least a few hundred” scrips have been filled” since the iPhone app’s soft … Continue reading
When Big Pharma brands shed their sales reps, you know outsourcing’s here to stay.
Major brands in various industries have shed all but their deepest core competencies. For the largest U.S. and global brands, this has typically led to a major offloading of manufacturing, packaging and distribution- and logistics-related functions. The reason is simple; for many if not most brands, much of those functions are commodities, whereas the real … Continue reading
Zevacor’s new cyclotron from IBA to offer new hope…in 2016
On November 4, Zevacor announced that it selected a firm to supply their new cyclotron. This updates the story I wrote for Pharmaceutical Commerce under the headline, “New higher-capacity cyclotron to stabilize isotope supply.” In that story I cited IBA Group and Best Medical International and Best Cyclotron Systems as possible sources; IBA was chosen. For this outside the … Continue reading